Nicollet Island/East Bank

Location and General Characteristics

The Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood comprises Nicollet Island on the Mississippi River just east of downtown and the portion of the eastern riverbank located between Central Avenue and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad line.

The neighborhood is at the geographical and historical center of Minneapolis. The island is named for Joseph Nicollet, a scientist, geographer and mathematician born in Savoy, France. He led three expeditions through Minnesota, and authored the influential book
Map of the Hydrographical Basin of the Upper Mississippi.

Hennepin Avenue East and First Avenue Northeast are two of the main roads that connect the island to the rest of Minneapolis. The island spans 47 acres, and all but two of the houses on the island date from 1864 to 1898.

The island is part of the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Zone.

On the southeastern end of Nicollet Island, behind the Hennepin Avenue bridge, stands this sculpture. A gift from the City of Ibaraki, Minneapolis' sister city in Japan, the sculpture is shaped like a 2,000-year-old terra cotta mold for bronze bells that was discovered in Ibaraki.